California Might Deem ‘Revenge Porn’ A Criminal Offense

Its no secret that there are vindictive people out there who post photos and videos once taken in private on the internet to shame their ex-lovers. They provide the content for ‘revenge porn’ websites, which have become a thriving source of revenue for people who run such websites. Its bad enough to have an embarrassing photo being posted online, one can’t even fathom the horror of finding a photo or video that lets the world peek into some of their most intimate moments. The California State Assembly debates a bill today that aims to deem revenge porn a criminal misdemeanor, those found guilty are likely to face up to one year in prison.

According to this bill, people who upload pictures and videos which show a person in “a state of full or partial undress in any area in which the person being photographed or recorded has a reasonable expectation of privacy,” “with the intent to cause serious emotional distress” will face jail time. Roping in uploaders is just one part of the solution. The websites that host such content are free from any civil liability because Section 230 of the Federal Communications Decency Act says that third-party platforms don’t have any liability for content generated by users. Such sites have been subjected to lawsuits though, and various advocacy groups believe that they should be held liable as well. Once a compromising photo or video ends up on a website, it usually spreads like fire so much so that it becomes virtually impossible to petition each and every website to take it down. [Image via The Verge]